Red State Democrats Fear Trump No More As Sen. Joe Manchin Shifts On Russia Investigation

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) shifted on his stance that an independent investigation wasn’t needed into the Trump/Russia scandal while telling the President that he still needed to apologize to President Obama for his wiretap lies.

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Manchin was asked about his position that investigations into Russia should be done in congressional committees.

Manchin expressed confidence in the Senate Intelligence Committee, but said, “I think what happened today would give pause to think that the House Intel, which Chairman Nunes at the head of that could do that in an impartial way.”

Todd followed up by asking Manchin if he thought Trump was correct to feel vindicated. The Senator from West Virginia answered, “Well, I don’t want to comment on that because I still think that with what we know an apology is still warranted to President Obama. From what we know, because I know and anyone who knows anything about how the law is in our country that unless he’s accusing President Obama of an illegal wiretap. I don’t think that was the accusation. So, you’re saying he directed somebody? President Obama can’t do that.”

Manchin’s comments are a sign that Trump’s political weakness is very real. We are starting to see red state Democrats not having as much fear of running against this president. If the criticism grows louder from Democrats in states that Trump carried, it will suggest that Democrats see the ability to compete everywhere on the map against Republicans.

Red State Democrats are sounding less cautious about criticizing the president, which means that Trump is in an even worse position that most people realize.

Mr. Easley is the founder/managing editor and Senior White House and Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason spent four years as a political columnist and the politics editor at 411mania.com, where he covered such issues as the Iraq War, warrantless wiretapping, and the daily workings of the American legislative process. Jason has also written for the Blogger News Network and saw his 2008 presidential election coverage quoted in over 300 newspapers worldwide. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association